Chavez condemns U.S., ally airstrikes in Libya

by Ian James - Mar. 21, 2011 12:00 AMAssociated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemned what he called "indiscriminate bombing" by the U.S. and its allies in Libya, saying Sunday that the assault is unjustified and will only unleash more bloodshed.

Cuba's government also criticized the attacks and called for the conflict to be resolved through negotiation.

Chavez said the U.S. is after Libya's oil, and warned President Barack Obama not to try any similar intervention in the South American country. "With Venezuela, don't even think about it, Mr. Obama," he said.

Chavez, who has long-standing ties to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, demanded the airstrikes be halted and echoed claims of civilian casualties by Libya's government, which said 48 people were killed.

"Civilian victims have now begun to appear because some bombs are launched - 200, 400 bombs from out there at sea - and those bombs fall where they fall," Chavez said during his weekly television and radio program.

In Washington, however, the Pentagon said there were no reports of civilian casualties in the air assault. "Libya is under imperial fire. Nothing justifies this," Chavez said.

"Indiscriminate bombing. Who gave those countries the right? Neither the United States, nor France, nor England, nor any country has the right to be dropping bombs."

In Havana, Cuba's foreign ministry said the Libyan conflict should be solved "through dialogue and negotiation, not by military means."

"Cuba expresses its strongest condemnation of foreign intervention in the internal conflict" of Libya, said a statement from the ministry read on Cuban television news.

On Saturday, delegates at a meeting in Bolivia of the left-leaning ALBA bloc condemned the airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies. The group includes Venezuela, Cuba and six other Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Chavez mocked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for expressing support for popular uprisings in the Arab world. Chavez has suggested that reports of atrocities by Gadhafi's troops have been overblown or unproven as the Libyan government has sought to crush the uprising by rebels.

Chavez's criticisms were echoed by some non-ALBA nations, including Paraguay, where President Fernando Lugo said: "I regret that the United Nations has legitimized those attacks."

But Peruvian President Alan Garcia praised the U.S. and its allies for defending Libyans against a regime that has attacked opponents to try to cling to power.

"I think it's very important that the world's nations unite to prevent this type of butchery and massacres that aim to silence people's just protests," Garcia said.